Knife crime dangers to be highlighted as touring play visits Helensburgh school

A new theatre show about the dangers of knife crime is to be performed for pupils at Hermitage Academy this month.

‘Balisong’, which is designed for schools and performed by young people, empowers teens to stand up, speak out and get help if a friend or classmate is carrying a knife.

The play, which comes to Hermitage Academy on November 21, charts the journey of three friends through the final weeks of school, who are facing a dilemma. What should they do now that one of their friends has started carrying a knife?

Hermitage is one of 95 schools to be visited by the performers, who are on a Scotland wide tour.

The play has been created using a peer-theatre approach, which engages directly with young people’s ideas, opinions and experiences of knife crime and uses their daily experience as the catalyst and inspiration for the story.

Along with the play, a post-performance workshop will draw out key themes and ask the audience to reflect on the central question: what would you do if someone you knew was carrying a knife?

Emily Beever, national coordinator for the Scottish Government's No Knives Better Lives programme at YouthLink Scotland, said: “In the last decade, the level of knife crime in Scotland has drastically reduced, but one incident is still one too many.

"Working with young people is key to continuing to prevent knife crime. ‘Balisong’ has given us an exciting new way to talk to all young people about their role in preventing knife carrying through peer support.

"The feedback has shown that already more than 12,000 young people will think twice before picking up a knife.”

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